Our first impression of the new Suzuki DF250 is a common one among those familiar with 2-stroke technology and new to the 4-stroke scene: It’s quiet. We stood just a few feet from a pair of idling DF250s mounted on the transom of a 31’ Yellowfin and held a conversation as if we were in our office.

Once at sea, the engines appeared vibration-free, pushed strong out of the hole and propelled the boat to a top speed of 50 knots (that’s right, 50 knots). Back at the dock, unclipping three flush-mounted latches allowed for easy removal of the cowling. We were impressed by its light weight compared to other…